November 17, 2002

THE Internet journalist is a book which deals with the whole spectrum of issues that affect online journalism, a new genre that is slowly taking its place in the media world. The author, Kamal Siddiqi, is a Pakistani journalist with versatile experience, who is at present teaching at Monash University, Australia.

There are many intricacies in online journalism, which has rapidly changing needs. As the author points out, the new media journalist “needs to have a blend of traditional and futuristic skills, who can work imaginatively with a rich swirl of text, photos, graphics, audio and video that the multimedia embody”.

With different groups taking to the Internet to explain their viewpoints and present news in a personalized format, the journalist faces new problems, ethical dilemmas, and the challenge of new technologies. The stories on the Internet are normally not as well edited as those in newspapers on account of the limited time available to the online journalist. This has generated a debate between those who opt for accuracy and those who believe that in today’s fast-paced world, it is time that is of essence.

Another key issue that has come up is the ethical dilemma online journalists face. Regulating the Internet has become a worldwide global concern as surfers venture into the unknown. Unforeseen problems that were never thought of are continually surfacing as several hundred million people around the world representing diverse cultures are turning to the Internet. What might be offensive to people of one background may not be so to hundreds of thousands of others.

The author explains the four approaches generally adopted to regulate the Internet. These include filtering software, inbuilt netiquette, multilateral treaties and Internet self regulation. Identifying the serious obstacles to regulation, namely, ambiguity, jurisdiction, the ease of anonymity and the flexibility of the medium, he asserts that two options nevertheless exist. One is the extensive involvement of media and educational organizations to address the roots of the issue. The other calls for joint international efforts to set up standards of regulation of and decency in electronic communications.

Kamal Siddiqi introduces the readers to new technologies, beginning with the Simputer, that is, a simple, inexpensive, multilingual computer, which is a hand-held computer developed in India for long-distance education through satellite. There is the need to explore the utility of this system for the remote areas of Pakistan. There are also the MP3, WAP, Radio Internet and Bluetooth.

The book should be of relevance to those working for an online news portal. This experiment has not proved to be a great success in Pakistan. The South Asian Media Wise (SAMWOnline) was the first website to introduce electronic journalism in the country. Since its launch in May 2000, it faced serious problems on account of poor management and infighting. There were challenges posed by hackers, viruses and the PTCL’s poor technical support. Even before SAMWOnline had completed a year, there was talk of converting the website into a news agency.

With advertising rates all over the world going down and portals crashing, as Siddiqi also writes, the sorry ending of SAMWOnline was clearly a matter of time. Other aspirants who wanted to venture into online journalism, therefore, shelved their plans.

This is a pity because the good response SAMW received from readers indicates that there is need for a news website. The hunger for instant news was satisfied by SAMW reporters equipped with cell phones who remained constantly in touch with the desk, where experienced journalists wrote the story and put it on the web immediately. That way the site tried to compete with international wire services.

Websites definitely have an edge over newspaper online sites because they have staff in the field and on the desk to gather news and put it on the Internet. The newspapers rely on wire services to update their sites which are selective in their coverage.

With the growing Internet culture, the scope for online journalism should also grow. The book is a valuable asset not only for students of online journalism but also for all other journalists whether they work for the print or the broadcast media. With his grasp of the subject, the author has produced a book which is packed with information and has an easy to read style. One hopes he will arrange for its publication in Pakistan.

 

The Internet journalist

By Kamal Siddiqi

CeLTS, Monash University, Churchill, Victoria, Australia 3842.

Email: paula.yuen@arts.monash.edu.au

ISBN 0-7326-2220-4.

118pp. Price not stated

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